


Cohabitation

by thisiscyrene



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Childhood Friends, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Link pov, M/M, creative house, rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisiscyrene/pseuds/thisiscyrene
Summary: Link is fixated on the physicality of their shared spaces. From childhood to adulthood, he finds comfort in having Rhett by his side.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: Mythical Secret Santa 2020





	Cohabitation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arel_Rhink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arel_Rhink/gifts).



> Written for Mythical Secret Santa 2020.
> 
> Took some tiny creative liberties with their past and with the creative house, BUT Link's shelf is based on actual photos he shared of the shelf and the photo drawer from a past Society AMA.

It’d been a build-up to this, really. An inevitability that they’d end up occupying the same physical space in perpetuity. The realization comforts Link.

Link remembers the first time Rhett had spent the night at his house. It was Link’s first real sleepover ever, actually, and he was nervous but so, so excited to have a friend like Rhett. They stayed up all night long making each other laugh and getting shushed by his stepfather. Link didn’t think he’d ever be happier than that first night together. 

But there were many more sleepovers. The ones Link loved the most were the ones at Rhett’s house, when Rhett’s mama would drive them down to the video store to pick out movies and popcorn and candy. Rhett always seemed to know how to pick out the best movies, even if sometimes Link found them to be just a little bit scary. 

Of course, it was Rhett who suggested that he and Link make their own movies together someday. After that it was all he and Rhett talked about during their regular sleepovers, coming up with stories and characters as they lay side by side in their sleeping bags. Link was sure they were meant to do great things together. _Together_.

By the time they were in high school, they still talked about making movies, but now much of their time was spent in a group of friends. In truth, Link missed having Rhett’s attention all to himself. But he’d never admit it out loud.

Camping trips were a regular occurrence. Rhett and Link and all their friends would hike into the woods, crossing the river to find their favorite spot on an island between two streams. They’d stay up late, gathered around the campfire laughing and joking and goofing off. But once the embers of the campfire died down and a chill set in, Link was more than eager to retreat to his sleeping bag.

Of course, he and Rhett always shared a tent. It was a well-won old two-person tent that Rhett’s family had owned for ages. They’d used it a hundred times as kids and it had always seemed so big back then. They didn’t have sleepovers anymore now, they were too old for that, but Link loved their camping trips. It reminded him of all the times they used to camp out in the McLaughlin’s backyard, staying up late and looking at stars through the mesh roof. Even now, as teenagers, Link felt a special comfort in there being just the two of them. He’d fall asleep in his sleeping bag, pressed up against the edge of Rhett’s, knowing that as long as they were together, everything would be ok. 

College came and they didn’t make it to film school. But they’d resolved to stay together no matter what, and as they unpacked their belongings into their shared dorm room for the first time Link was absolutely sure they’d made the right decision. The thought of going to film school alone, across the country, while Rhett stayed behind in North Carolina to play basketball made Link’s stomach hurt. They’d figure out a way to make movies no matter what, and that could only happen as long as they were physically together in the same space. Like they were meant to be.

It was the little things about their dorm life that Link cherished most. Sure, there were parties and people and classes and a whole mountain of brand-new experiences to be had, but the time he and Rhett had all to themselves could never be matched. To Link, it was doing laundry together, cleaning the dorm together, and making cheap dinners together that made him truly feel like Rhett was _his person_. The intimacy of doing simple daily tasks with Rhett by his side made his heart feel _full_. 

The dorm was their own little world and it was absolutely everything they’d dreamt of since they were kids. They filled the space with their favorite things: pictures of Lionel and Merle, posters of their favorite movies, and references to a lifetime of inside jokes only they could appreciate. Most of all, Link loved referring to their shared items as “ours.” _Our_ couch, _our_ ‘fridge, _our_ room. It made him feel warm and fuzzy every single time. Link decided it was a feeling he always wanted to have.

Eventually, they’d moved out of the dorms and into a shared apartment with two other guys. He and Rhett had still decided to share a room though - that choice had been obvious. Despite all the fun they had as a group, Link always looked forward to weekends the other guys were out of the house. When he and Rhett would stay in and rent a bunch of movies and spend the whole night out on the couch in a pile of pillows and blankets. Half the time they didn’t even pay attention to what was on the screen. Instead, they made jokes and laughed and came up with silly scenarios of their own. The things that he and Rhett came up with were always a hundred times more entertaining to him than any movie they could rent.

But eventually college came to an end and they moved on. To separate homes with separate families, separate jobs, and separate lives. It was hard at first, and Link found himself suffocating and stagnant, like he felt himself moving farther and farther away from how he’d envisioned his life. He loved his family, so much, but there was something missing.

Rhett had felt it too. So, they decided they’d make a new oath. That they’d drop everything and come together once a week, just the two of them and create. Anything. A song or a story, a movie idea or a funny video. And Link began to feel whole again. Maybe he and Rhett couldn’t live together forever, that reality had made itself known early, but they could still be together creatively. 

And after months and months of hard work, of risks and worrying and hopefulness, they’d decided to take the plunge. They rented a small studio for just the two of them, dedicated solely to making videos, and cultivating their growing internet success, allowing them to create bigger and better things together. 

Once again Link found himself fixated on the physicality of their shared space. 

They’d decorated the new studio together, spending hours at the hardware store picking out the right shade of green for the walls, gathering items here and there to furnish the space, and selecting important pieces of their history together to represent their joint-ownership of a new business based around their friendship. 

As they fell into the swing of things their success only grew, and they spent more and more time together in their tiny studio creating. Sometimes they’d end up sleeping at the studio, frantically trying to make a deadline. They’d take turns napping on the ratty used couch, and Link would fall asleep comforted by the sound of Rhett tapping away at the keyboard just next to him. They were exhausted, but here they were, _together_ , creating. Doing exactly everything they’d promised each other since those first sleepovers so many years ago. Link smiled into the floral print fabric of the couch as he drifted off.

  
Hours upon hours of hard work and sacrifice and millions of subscribers later they’d decided, together, to make the move to Los Angeles. It was scary and adjusting to life in California wasn’t always easy, but Link had Rhett by his side. They’d packed up everything they’d owned into a van and set out across the country. And as Link fell asleep, tucked in carefully next to Rhett on a shabby motel bed somewhere between Fuquay-Varina and Los Angeles, he thought about how happy his younger self would be to know that they’d made it this far. That they were making good on their blood oath. And that they were well on their way to a life path that involved them being together always. 

Over the years they’d shared countless motel rooms. In the beginning, it was always a shared room with a single bed, because it was all they could afford. But Link never minded. Rhett liked to joke that Link slept “with reckless abandon,” but Link truly never felt more relaxed than when he was physically close to Rhett. Eventually their success allowed them to book separate rooms with king-size beds, but they often found themselves opting for a shared suite when possible. It was just easier when they were in the same space, they said. It was more practical. Even when they stayed in separate rooms, they always found themselves lounging together in a single room until it was time to go to bed. It was just an unspoken need to inhabit the same physical space.

Their success grew, and they built an empire around their friendship. Eventually they found themselves with a huge studio and dozens of crewmembers under their employment. Throughout it all they’d maintained a shared office, eventually moving into one with a secret loft space, just for the two of them. But as their productions grew and their crew expanded, they began to crave creative solitude again. At first, they’d rent out a cabin for a week to work on a specified project. It was always the most productive they’d been in a while, allowing them space to be unguarded, joking without upholding a camera-ready persona, or just allowing themselves to settle in to a comfortable silence side by side. 

It was Link who first suggested the idea of renting out their own home. A creative house, he said, just for the two of them. No crew, no cameras, no need to be the talent or to be bosses. It had sounded ridiculous at first. An entire house? Who would maintain the yard? Would they need to buy furniture? Stock a refrigerator? But after a few online searches, they eventually decided on a place not far from the studio and their own homes, to see with a realtor.

Link hated how cliché it sounded, but he fell in love with the house at first sight. It was a cute little home with grey stucco and flower pots in the front yard, in a quiet little neighborhood. It had three bedrooms and a pool in the backyard and it took no effort at all to imagine he and Rhett filling the space with themselves. They’d signed a lease agreement that very day.

It was surreal, at first, almost like going all the way back to that very first dorm room he shared with Rhett. There was a giddiness and awe they felt at having their own place, despite the fact that they’d both owned houses and an entire Burbank studio. This was different, it was just for them. Almost a sacred place. A refuge. 

They painted the middle room the color of their skin. It was all a part of a bit, something funny and ridiculous and surreal that represented their brand of humor. But the symbolism wasn’t lost on Link. That room represented the physical coming together of their bodies into a shared space. Just like they were meant to be. It was almost like a culmination of the blood oath they’d shared as kids. _They did it_. They made great things together. And now here, in their new space, they’d continue to make things. As long as they were together, they could do anything. 

And just like in that very first studio, Link’s favorite thing was decorating the house. Filling it with representations of themselves. They bought a soft, cushioned black couch and a coffee table shaped like a cassette tape, a custom display rack for Link’s vinyl records, and a beautiful wooden shelving unit that would take up an entire wall. It had been Rhett’s idea that they raid their prop storage facility for more furnishings. It would save some money and they’d have the opportunity to fill the space with some of the quirky items from their past. It symbolized a new beginning filled with treasures from their past.

Eventually Link brought his smoothie machine from home and Rhett brought his yoga ball. They brought bowls for the dogs, and Rhett’s favorite knife. Link brought all of his favorite vinyl albums, to display proudly on the wall. They had everything they needed.

But Link’s proudest moment was decorating the big wooden wall-hanging shelf. While Rhett was at the Burbank studio, Link had spent the whole day at the creative house planning the layout of his shelf. He’d spent days before, carefully selecting items that represented the gamut of their history together. Magazines with Merle on the cover, awards they’d won, gifts from Mythical Beasts, and a more few of the quirky items they’d collected along the way. 

Link’s favorite part was the hidden drawer. In it, he’d placed his favorite photos of he and Rhett together as kids, carefully laid flat and framed: the one of them in matching purple gorilla shirts, their special handshake on Rhett’s lawn before their high school prom, and a third photo of them with Ben. Alongside the photos were their two VIP badges from the time they’d met Merle, and finally, their shared artist badge from the Nashville Comedy Fest. To Link, the drawer represented proof that they’d fulfilled their blood oath, and then some. They were his most precious memories with Rhett. 

Now, after almost a year in their home together, the once stark white walls and empty rooms glowed with warmth from the items that now filled the space. Like a museum dedicated to their entire life together. 

Link considered the house the best idea they’d ever had. Their friendship was stronger than ever and they’d managed to rekindle their creativity and productivity without feeling like they were burned out. The house was a refuge, away from cameras and responsibilities as bosses, a place where they could spend all night hashing out the details of a big project, where they could spend a weekend lounging by the pool, or where they could film a silly video based on a spur of the moment idea. 

It was winter now, and the weather was growing cooler, even if by California standards. One evening, Link found himself bundled up on the couch across from Rhett, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a laptop perched on his knees as he concentrated on a line of dialogue from an upcoming project they were working on. He’d tuned everything else out, but suddenly he became aware of a deep silence in the room. When he looked up, he found Rhett staring at him, a small smile tugging at his lips and a warm in his eyes.

“What?” Link asked, a small grin coming to his own face. He wondered how long Rhett had been watching him.

“Nothing,” Rhett said, shaking his head, his eyes never leaving Link’s. “C’mere,” he laughed, patting the soft couch beside him. “Let’s watch a movie, your pick.”

Link searched his eyes for a second, finding only warmth and comfort. He set his laptop closed on the coffee table and shuffled around to Rhett’s side, fuzzy blanket still draped over his shoulders. Rhett scooted over and made space by his side, resting his arm across the back of the couch so Link could settle in next to him. It was something they hadn’t done since the dorms back in college, but Link fell back into the routine easily. It wasn’t about the movie really, it never was. It was about the physicality of being in each other’s space.

As the opening credits of the movie started to roll across the laptop screen, Rhett leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the hair above Link’s temple. That part was new for them, but it didn’t take Link by surprise. He settled into the warmth of Rhett’s side, in their shared home, surrounded by memories of the past and plans for the future. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr as [killthenaughtyboy](https://killthenaughtyboy.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Thanks for reading and as always thanks to Ren and Sims for organizing this year's Mythical Secret Santa!


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